The Supplement Trap: You’re better off With a healthy plate
Why you shouldn’t waste your money on supplements
Two capsules every day after your workout and in 2 weeks you’ll be amazed. You might be mistaken for an astronaut from carrying so much ass around
said Indira, a coach at the gym I’ve been working out in for a month now. Never mind that being mistaken for an “ass-tronaut” is not one of my fitness goals. I turned her down politely, like I did twice before, when she tried convincing me to try other supplements.
Indira is an offline fitness-supplement influencer and I know she won’t give up until she’s gotten me to try something, like she has done with most of the members of the gym already. It’s not like she has malicious intent, she just genuinely believes that the supplements are a necessity in any workout regime and are also good for regular consumption, but I prefer to eat my nutrients in food.
This situation isn’t uncommon in the fitness space, especially between the newbies and the “pros”. The massive push for these supplements (which are not cheap) to replace food doesn’t sit right with the natural medicine advocate in me. All these important molecules and vitamins are present in natural foods, so why can’t we just eat? Why buy a bottle of “calcium tablets” instead of buying calcium rich foods which will also contain fibers and other nutrients that you also need?
I decided to look into it, here’s what evidence backed research says:
In general, even if a product is labeled as a dietary supplement, a product intended to treat, prevent, cure, or alleviate the symptoms of a disease is a drug, and subject to all requirements that apply to drugs…Dietary supplements don’t need our approval to hit the shelves at stores.They also do not need to withstand the rigorous clinical trials that prescription drugs go through— FDA
It is people with very restrictive diets, limited access to a variety of foods, or certain medical conditions-specifically those that either hinder absorption of nutrients or come with high nutritional needs- who benefit from supplementation” — Ashley Reaver ( a registered dietitian with a specialization in sports dietetics)
Unnecessarily adding individual vitamins and minerals into your diet can also create imbalances within your body. This can lead to major changes or long-term health effects… As long as athletes eat a well-balanced diet and drink plenty of water, that should be all that they need — UCDavisHealth
In most cases, additional research is needed to fully understand the efficacy and safety of particular ingredients” -NIH
There are a lot more declarations from respected health organizations and professionals. You could do your own research but you’ll find that they all sum up to the same conclusion:
the average young adult does NOT need supplements. What you need is a balanced diet!
Fitness focused supplements are not a quick fix or a shortcut to achieve your body goals, you have to put in the work!
Don’t let their aggressive marketing and social media hype get to you. Even the athletes and influencers that advertise these supplements do so for a commission, do not be fooled.
Now, I’m not saying supplements are useless or bad, I’m saying the average person doesn’t need it. The average person is less than 40, eats a balanced diet and is relatively healthy.
You would say “but I want to build my dream body” then build it. Work on it consistently and eventually see results without all the side effects that supplements cause, the financial strain included.
So what’s a balanced diet for the average active adult? Stick around and I’ll let you know in the next post. Give me a follow so if you want to be notified when it’s posted
